Author: Abbot Tryphon

Properly preparing for the reception of the Holy Mysteries Anyone who desires to receive the Holy Mysteries in the Russian Orthodox Church must prepare themselves with confession, the Precommunion Prayers, and have abstained from all food or drink from midnight on. In fact, most of the world’s Local Orthodox Churches

Let us not shroud the Light of Christ in darkness The importance of presenting the gospel message in a loving, inviting way, and the Church as a hospital of the soul where everyone can be made whole, must not be minimized. When we make our Orthodox faith the focus of

Important for both confessor and penitent The Seal of Confession is a hard and fast rule throughout the history of the Orthodox Church. Since the priest, in Orthodox theology, is but a witness to the confession, since the confession is given to Christ Himself, confidentiality is an absolute must. The

Orthodox icon of the Baptism of our Lord (Theophany) Commemorated January 6th (January 19th, Old Calendar). This icon is about the Feast that reveals the Holy Trinity to the world through the Baptism of the Lord (Mt.3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22). God the Father spoke from Heaven about the Son,

Darkness does not exist in its own right Our Orthodox Christian theology views evil not as a primeval essence that is coeternal and equal to God, but rather a falling away from good. Evil does not exist in and of itself, and was not created by God. Our Orthodox Church

When correcting others is like assaulting them When focusing on the sins of others, we set for ourselves the mission of correcting them. We see ourselves as called to help this poor, unfortunate one by pointing out their sins, and telling them how they can be a better person. We

Reaching our full potential by the company we keep We don’t like certain behavioral patterns that have become habitual, so we feel helpless in our attempt to change. Our growth as Christians is often fraught with failure, and we seem to find ourselves stuck. Our spiritual journey to God feels

Keeping one’s mind and heart in a good place Walking through life with a smile on your face and a song in your heart is the best way to keep your mind and heart in a good place. Life has many turns and many trials, but when you keep centered

Receiving temptations with a peaceful heart Trials and temptations, when received by a peaceful heart, bring forth healing and make the soul stronger and healthier. Reacting does nothing but usher in paralysis of the soul, for it binds us to our fallen nature. When we receive all temptations with a

Keeping ourselves vigilant There are certain sins that become habitual, sins that we seem to repeat over and over again. We feel powerless against temptation, and a sense of resignation overtakes us. Saint Isaac the Syrian suggests that we confront these struggles head on. “If you bear your weakness constantly